My Favorite Fair Trade Clothing Brands
If you found this post, then I’m guessing you already know you want to start/continue shopping for Fair Trade Certified clothes, so I won’t go into why I love FTC and what it’s all about here. We’ll save that for another blog post. I’m also going to create a list of ethical clothing brands that aren’t necessarily FTC or World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) certified but do have fair labor and sustainability practices.
The brands listed here are ones that I’ve shopped at, so it won’t include every Fair Trade clothing brand on the planet. There are many more out there, of course, and I invite you to add them to the comments!
I do want to address one objection I hear a lot: “Fair Trade is often more expensive than clothing made in a sweat shop.” This is generally true because, for one, Fair Trade workers get paid better. However, the way I look at this is I’d rather have fewer items of clothing that are Fair Trade or ethically made than have tons more clothing that is made on the backs of child or slave labor. So yes, that means that I have less clothes and I’m OK with that! In fact, it goes well with my minimalism mindset and it makes it easier for me to pick out outfits in the morning.
Pact
Women, maternity, men, kids, and baby (and bedding)
Pact is my go-to for basics like Ts, tanks, undergarments, socks, and simple dresses. By far, this is the place I have bought most of my maternity clothes. They frequently have sales going on, so I would recommend subscribing to their newsletter. They also offer carbon-neutral shipping that costs less than 50-cents!
Mata Traders
Women
Dresses! Yes, yes, yes! This is probably my favorite fair trade dress shop, though they do also sell shirts, skirts, and jewelry. Their dresses are very colorful and unique. You can also read about where your clothes are made and the company’s sustainability practices.
Isabel Maternity by Ingrid & Isabel
Not all of Ingrid and Isabel’s clothing is Fair Trade Certified, but some of them are and I think that deserves some recognition. When shopping you can check the tag for the FTC logo (above). My maternity shorts and jeans are both FTC. They are sold at Target, so it’s very easy online to narrow down the search based on Fair Trade. In the Search bar just type in “Fair Trade jeans” or “Fair Trade shorts.”
People Tree
Women
People Tree is based in the UK and has been in the ethical fashion industry since the early 1990s. They have so many different styles and looks that I think most women would find something they like here. People Tree sells tops & bottoms, dresses, underwear, jackets, pj’s, athleisure, and jewelry. They do ship to the US, but the only downside is that returns are difficult when sent from the US back to the UK. Their sizing is different from the US, so if you’re someone who likes to buy pieces in multiple sizes to try them on, I would make sure you understand how much it’ll cost you to ship back the item that doesn’t fit.
Happy shopping! If there are other Fair Trade brands that you like, let me know.
